The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(2)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the Antebellum South on the Mississippi River in St. Petersburg.

About the BookTom Sawyer, a mischievous redheaded orphan taken in by his Aunt Polly, goes through a series of adventures involving his friends, Joe Harper and Huckleberry Finn. Tom is an escape master, and a professional trickster. He escapes punishment many times by his tricks. Though he is often foolish and unpredictable, he also is somewhat smart and has a good sense of humor. When not trying to win his sweetheart, Becky Thatcher, Tom is either getting into mischief or going on an adventure. Many times, Tom suddenly changes from his grinning self into a fearsome pirate or Indian. His laugh changes into a bloodcurdling yell or a barking captain's voice. Tom Sawyer's main doings are racing bugs, impressing girls with fights and stunts in the schoolyard, getting lost in a cave, and playing pirates on the Mississippi River. The best-known passage in the book describes how Sawyer persuades his friends to white-wash, or paint, a long fence for him. In this book, Mark Twain is trying to depict the fun of boyhood.
Here is one of the Adventures of Tom Sawyer............

17

Prize day

It was nearly the end of the term. The examinations wre near. Mr. Dobbins was making the boys work very hard. If they didn't work, he beat them. Nearly every leson, some boy was beaten. The boys were getting angry about this. One dat they all met together and made a plan. What was their plan? It was this: Mr. Dobbins had no hair. He always wore a wig. The boys planned to paint his gead a golden colour. The painter's son promised to do this. Mr. Dobbins was living in his house. The boy could do the painting while Mr.Dobbins was asleep in his chair after his lunch. "You can be sure", he said to the class, "that Mr.Dobbins will have a golden head on Prize Day."

Prize Day came. All the pupils sat quietly in the school hall. They were dressed in their best clothes. Their parents were sitting there too. All the people of the village were there. First of all, different boys and girls recited poems. Tom did too. He stood on the platform in front of everybody, Shouting:

"Let me be free!

Let me die if I can't be free!

Freedom! Give me freedom!"

He stopped suddenly. He had forgotten the wordds! He looked round helplessly. He saw Mr. Dobbins"face, red with anger. He simply coild not remember another word of his poem. He looked very foolish standing there. He felt very foolish. He rushed off the platform, his face bright red with shame.

After the recitations, Mr. Dobbins stood up. He want to the blackboard. He began to draw a map of America. He was going to ask his pupils some questions on the Geography of America. While he was drawing, the fun began. A cat suddenly appeared above his head! It was hanging from a piece of string. A boy in the room above was holding the string. The cat could not make any sound because its mouth was closed with a tight bandage. Slowly the cat came down. It came nearer and nearer to the master's wig. It pulled it off! Then the cat was quickly pulled up. Everybody was looking at Mr. Dobbins' head. The painter's son had done his work well. Mr. Dobbins's head was a bright, golden colour. It shone like the sun! His pupils laughed loudly. Their parents laughed loudly. Everybody roared with laughter - except poor Mr. Dobbins!